By Callum Ludwig
The Mont De Lancey Historic Homestead will be taking visitors back in history with the return of the Draught Horse and Yesteryear Festival.
The event will be held on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 February and will feature a fleet of large draught horses at work as well as displays and exhibitions of old-school machinery and skills.
Event Coordinator Lewis Carlton said as usual, the draught horses are the main attraction.
“They’ll be working in the field and doing a few displays, towing different bits of machinery around and driving the antique horse works, which is powering a water pump,” he said.
“Also, amongst the horses, there’ll be the hay baler which will be being operated and making bales of hay, driven by a vintage engine which you can look at while you talk to the owners and pat the horses.”
The event is organised annually by the Yarra Valley Machinery Preservation Society and held in the historic setting of the homestead, the event aims to keep alive the knowledge and understanding of life in times past.
Mr Carlton said it’s an insight into how things were done in days gone by before we had widespread electricity and computer-controlled equipment.
“The vintage engines, for instance, were commonplace in homes, in industry and on farms, prior to the widespread use of electricity. People had them in their homes to power washing machines and lighting and a few other things,” he said.
“The engines were used in industry for driving other forms of machinery, but once electricity became widespread, it was easier to flick a switch and turn on an electric motor than having to start up engines.”
Other attractions at the event include a leather worker making bridles and saddles, blacksmiths firing up the forges, wood-turners making a range of beautiful timber objects, a large display of antique hand tools, displays of lace-making and tatting, a market, an exhibition form the Monbulk Historical Society and a sowing from the Quilts for Orphans group.
President of Quilts for Orphans Annette Stone said they will have a display in the museum gallery.
“We’ll have quilts there on display, our single bed quilts and cot quilts, we will have some crafts and pre-loved books, mostly craft books for sale at good prices and people can find out a bit more about Quilts for Orphans,” she said.
“Last time we were at Mont de Lancey, we found that the table runners are particularly of interest to people, they are something that you can throw on a side bench or a table for decor, and some of them are even reversible which makes them doubly useful so they can look out for those,”
“We continue to keep the craft of sowing, pattern design and working together in a community alive, which I think has a touch of yesteryear to it as well, so I think we will fit in nicely in the Mont De Lancey atmosphere for the weekend.”
There will also be a jumping castle, donkey rides and games for kids to enjoy.
Tickets are $15 for adults while kids under 15 can enter for free.
You can get tickets early at montdelancey.org.au/event/draught-horse-festival-2024/.
